Where America Is Headed

Barack Obama is an inspiring public figure. As much as I reject some of his political policies, I am deeply grateful that he, as an African American, is now the President of the United States. However, because I reject his political stance on abortion, the role of government in society, government ownership or vested interests in the free market, health care, and more, I am deeply concerned about how expansive government influence and regulation will become on Obama’s watch. Dick Morris, former advisor to Republican Senator Trent Lott and Democratic President Bill Clinton, has an interesting projection of Barack Obama’s next four years in the White House, and the picture he paints is more than troubling for opponents of big government.

2009-2010 will rank with 1913-14, 1933-36, 1964-65 and 1981-82 as years that will permanently change our government, politics and lives. Just as the stars were aligned for Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson and Reagan, they are aligned for Obama. Simply put, we enter his administration as free-enterprise, market-dominated, laissez-faire America. We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden — a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines private-sector priorities and offers a vastly expanded range of services to many more people at much higher taxes.

Early in 2008 I had the privilege of eating breakfast with Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. At the time Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark) were the front runners for their respective political parties nominations for the Presidency. As we were talking Moore made the comment that (at the time) he felt that Clinton would not only win the nomination, but that she would win the Presidency. However, he said that if Democrats were smart they would nominate Obama instead because “there would be no stopping him.” LIke Morris, Moore felt like the stars were aligned for Obama and that he possessed the kind of charisma that was both compelling and inspiring.

Like the people of Israel before us who demanded, “…there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1Sam 8:20), America, too, has annointed a savior on Capital Hill. And if Morris is right, we will get what we ask for, a leader who will involve the government in every aspect of our private affairs, including deciding for parents what is best for their own children, who will “fight our battles” by spoon-feeding a culture that grows more dependent on government assistance by the day, and making us “like all the nations” by socializing every aspect of the public sector, all for the sake of our comfort and security.

I’m praying that Morris is wrong. Unfortunately, I fear he may well end up being right.

1 comment

Ahhh yes the subtle (and many times not so subtle) invasiveness and outgrowth of covert socialism now on full display for your viewing pleasure or in my case viewing horror!! The truth is people get the kind of leadership they deserve. As a country we have become in part, and for many in full, a people who want someone else to do our thinking and make our decisions for us. We seem to have lost that American virtue that our ancestors had when they came here seeking freedom from ‘authoritarians’ or authoritarian governmental systems. It is or was within our American genetics that ‘the locus of evaluation’ resides within us. We like to make up our own minds. We like our independence of thought and our freedom to seek and place in office those who would recognize and protect those freedoms, set forth by the founding fathers, not curtail or relinquish them. (For a refresher read through the constitution). There can be no out of control ‘authoritarian’ dictator or authoritarian governmental system where the people do not allow it. Sadly however American has become like ancient Israel and appointed er voted someone to the highest office in the land who is a clandestine, but thorough going socialist. Functionally it’s George Orwell’s classic 1984 that’s now in full view in 2009, and beyond. I saw one quote that sums up my thoughts, “The path of least resistance leads to the altar of man and destruction.” As a nation I fear this is not just the path were we are headed but the path we are already on.